Diflubenzuron is an insect growth regulator labeled for application to pastures and rangeland to suppress grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae) populations. Livestock are permitted access to land immediately after treatment. We hypothesized the development and survivorship of horn fly Haematobia irritans (L.) larvae feeding on manure resulting from these animals would not be impacted due to the p...

Rumen fill may be a strong intake constraint for dairy cows fed on pasture, even though pasture is highly digestible in the grasslands of temperate climates. This constraint may also depend on the cows' maturity. Moreover, indoor feeding of fresh herbage may not always be a good model for the study of intake regulation at grazing. To test these hypotheses, four mature (6.3 ± 0.72 year old) and ...

The effects of supplementation with grass silage and replacement of some corn in the concentrate with soybean meal (SBM) on milk production, and milk fatty acid (FA) profiles were evaluated in a replicated 4 x 4 Latin square study using 16 dairy cows grazing pasture composed of ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, and white clover. Each experimental period lasted for 3 wk. The 4 dietary treatments wer...

The aim of this study was to determine the microbial community composition in the rumen of yaks under different feeding regimes. Microbial communities were assessed by sequencing bacterial and archaeal 16S ribosomal RNA gene fragments obtained from yaks (Bos grunniens) from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. Samples were obtained from 14 animals allocated to either pasture grazing (Graze), a grazi...

Seventy beef strip loins (Longissimus dorsi) were sampled, originating from labels prescribing pasturing (PS, suckler beef; PF, finished steers or heifers), from conventional production (CH, heifers; CB, young bulls), and from a label producing intensively fattened young bulls (LB) and prescribing specific husbandry conditions but not grazing. Samples were purchased in autumn and spring (1:1) f...

The Rubia Gallega cattle breed is the most important stock for beef production in Spain. A study about the influence of feeding systems on beef quality is needed. Comparison of the effect of a pasture finishing system and an indoors finishing system (maize silage and concentrate) on the meat quality and intramuscular fatty acid profile of Rubia Gallega steers (slaughter age 30 months) was deter...

The concentration of CLA in adipose tissue can be increased in ruminants by feeding pasture and extruded soybeans. The objective of this study was to evaluate maternal supplementation of raw (RS) or extruded (ES) soybeans on the concentrations of CLA in milk fat of cows and s.c. adipose tissue of suckling calves. Thirty-two spring-calving cows (BW 624 +/- 76 kg; BCS 3.5 +/- 0.4; mean +/- SD) an...

Small-scale patches (locations of 50 cm × 50 cm at a feeding station level) in a bahia grass ( Paspalum notatum ) pasture under cattle grazing were investigated in terms of herbage mass, quality and utilisation during a grazing season (May–November), to characterise the quantityquality relationship of patches and relate this to spatially heterogeneous grazing by animals. Nitrogen concentration ...

Grass feeding has been reported to affect several meat quality characteristics, in particular colour and flavour. In this paper we have reviewed some differences in meat colour and flavour between ruminants fed concentrates and animals allowed to graze pasture. The possible factors influencing the differences have been also examined. We have examined a total of 35 experiments which report the e...

Housing affects social behaviors, such as competition, but little work has addressed affiliative behaviors. This study compared social licking (SL) in pregnant heifers housed indoors (in a free-stall barn) versus outdoors (on pasture), and relationships with competition, feeding and physical proximity to others. Six heifer groups were observed during two six-hour-periods in both treatments. The...